About Our Logo

One of the calling cards of Frankland Racing Supply is our unique, distinctive logo, Frankie Frankland. While many people may recognize Frankie from our race car decals, hats, and t-shirts, few know the story behind him.

Nobody can seem to pinpoint when exactly Frankie was first drawn, but after looking through our file of historical company materials, we can trace his presence in Frankland Racing Supply advertisements back to at least the 1970s, which means Frankie’s has been leading the pack for at least 40 years. The original drawing was a caricature of Jim Frankland, the company’s founder.

The current Frankland Racing Supply logo (left) compared to the old logo from circa 1970

After our current president, Ed Ferree, acquired the company, we decided to make some slight changes to Frankie to make him look more like his new boss. Perhaps the most noticeable change was to Frankie’s facial hair—he used to sport Jim’s signature mustache, but he’s grown it out into Ed’s trademark beard. Also under new ownership, Frankie was outfitted with a purple jacket to match the new color scheme, and safety regulations at the factory required that Frankie put on a pair of shoes. You’ll also note that we toned down the long, forked tongue, because…well…the old tongue seemed a little too sinister for our liking!

What’s in the Logo

While we made a few cosmetic changes, Frankie’s core features remained the same, because they reflect our heritage and what we stand for here at Frankland Racing Supply:

The Rear End(s)

You don’t have to look too closely to notice that Frankie is showing off two rear ends here! Frankie’s exposed hindquarters are a joke about our flagship product, the Frankland rear end. Frankland Racing Supply is the originator of the quick-change rear end, an innovation so important that it got our founder Jim into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame. It seems fair to say that Frankie’s rear end has more than a few admirers.

The Flowing Hair

Frankland Racing Supply founder Jim Frankland was born in Scotland, so that partially explains the flowing mane of hair that rivals Braveheart himself. The important thing about Frankie’s hair, however, is the fact that it is clearly blowing in the wind. That’s because Frankie’s car has been outfitted with a Frankland quick-change rear end, which means he can spend less time on the sideline adjusting his gear ratio and more out on the track with the wind in his face.

The Checkered Flag

The checkered flag is a reference to our motto: “Finish the Race with Frankland.” Our racing rear ends are reliable and give racers a great racing experience, from the green flag to the checkered flag. We brag that Frankie is only one of the many racers have taken checkered flags while riding with Frankland-built or Frankland-repaired rear ends.